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This music score was submitted for Resonate 2024: An Open Access Call for Scores by the UCLA Music Library with Bent Frequency and Jan Berry Baker.

Giuseppe Ventriglia,1 Massimiliano Franco,1 Alberto Magni,1 Fabrizio Gervasoni2,3 1SIMG (Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care), Florence, Italy; 2Home Health Care, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy; 3Digital Medicine and Telerehabilitation for Continuity of Care from Hospital to Territory, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, ItalyCorrespondence: Fabrizio Gervasoni, Home Health Care, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Via G.B. Grassi 74, Milan, 20157, Italy, Email fabrizio.gervasoni@fisiatramilano.itAbstract: Musculoskeletal pain (MSP), which impacts bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments, is a substantial worldwide pain disorder, characterized by muscle soreness, fatigue, inflammation, muscle spasms, sleep disruptions, and functional limitations. MSP is predominantly managed within the primary care setting. Recent consensus recognizes that heat therapy (HT) may provide potential benefits, especially in treating chronic MSP. To develop shared algorithms for the treatment of MSP through local superficial HT (SHT) using continuous low-level heat wrap therapy, a four-member board of experts was designated. Three anatomical sites have been deemed of particular interest regarding potential response to exogenous SHT. Neck and shoulder pain are commonly attributed to traumatic experiences, muscle spasms, postural defects, or poor posture as common potential causes. HT may be helpful for painful contractures, although treatment should be limited in duration to prevent instability. Low back pain, the leading cause of disability, may have either specific or non-specific etiology. SHT, physical therapy, instrumental therapy, manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, motor activity, and trunk orthoses are all potential treatment options. SHT should be considered in chronic degenerative disc disease, non-specific LBP with muscle spasm or contracture, postural and overuse myalgia, and osteoarthritis (OA), excluding the inflammatory phase. Assessment of knee pain includes both a review of the patient’s medical history and a careful physical examination. SHT of the knee should be considered in case of muscle spasms, overuse pathology, early OA, and indirect muscle lesions. Patients who receive SHT may experience a reduction in pain, restoration of muscle strength, loosening of stiffness, and an overall improvement in their quality of life. This expert opinion proposes shared algorithms for MSP treatment via local SHT with the aiming to provide practical guidance on its proper application, highlighting specific potentialities as well as contraindications.Keywords: musculoskeletal pain, superficial heat therapy, heat wraps, algorithms

Somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) are widely distributed throughout the human body and play crucial roles in various physiological processes. They are recognized as key targets for both radiotherapy and radiodiagnosis due to their overexpression in several cancer types. However, the discovery and design of selective drugs for each of the five isoforms have been significantly hindered by the lack of complete structural information. In this study, we conducted a systematic computational analysis of all five SSTRs in complex with the endogenous ligand somatostatin to elucidate their structural and dynamic features. We thoroughly characterized each isoform using available experimental structures for SSTR2 and SSTR4, as well as AlphaFold2 models for SSTR1, SSTR3, and SSTR5. By performing multi-copy μs-long molecular dynamics simulations, we examined the differences and similarities in dynamical behavior and somatostatin binding among all SSTRs. Our analysis focused on understanding the opening and closing movements of the extracellular loop 2, which are crucial for ligand binding and recognition. Interestingly, we observed a unique conformation of somatostatin within the binding pocket of SSTR5 in which the loop can partially close, as compared to the other isoforms. Fingerprint analyses provided distinct interaction patterns of somatostatin with all receptors, thus enabling precise guidelines for the discovery and development of more selective somatostatin-based pharmaceuticals tailored for precision medicine therapies.

Background:. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that primarily affects young adults and causes disability by impairing the central nervous system. Gait impairments are common in people with MS (pwMS), and lower limb orthoses are often used to improve stability and mobility. However, compliance with orthotic devices can vary among individuals due to issues related to the appropriate prescription and lack of acceptability. Objective:. In this observational, cross-sectional study, we aimed to explore the experience of wearing a passive hip flexion device in a cohort of pwMS. Methods:. We included men and women >18 years old affected by MS (Expanded Disability Status Scale >4) who have been using a passive hip flexion device (ExoBand, Moveo srl) since 2020 for at least 15 days. The participants completed a phone survey that collected demographic, anthropometric, and clinical data, their perceptions of the device’s impact using the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices (PIADS) questionnaire, and a qualitative part with an open-ended question. Results:. A total of 41 patients completed the survey. The participants experienced improvements in all 3 areas of the PIADS questionnaire since using the ExoBand (P

This study explored the mathematics engagement of Australian primary students who currently struggle with mathematics learning and who participated in an intervention program. The research aimed to identify the elements that facilitated their engagement across three learning settings that they experienced concurrently: their "Extending Mathematical Understanding" (EMU) intervention lessons, classroom mathematics lessons, and home mathematics learning. A model of mathematics engagement comprising facilitators, indicators, and consequences of engagement was used to guide the data analysis process. By examining variation in results for these three categories of engagement, we draw tentative conclusions about how the settings contribute to the students' motivation to learn mathematics and their interest and engagement. The findings identified several key facilitators of mathematics engagement for students who struggle with mathematics. These included tasks and mathematical games, using number lines to represent whole numbers, and being offered a range of mathematics content beyond the number domain. Also important was the social aspect of learning including having supportive family members, peers, and teachers during mathematics learning activities, working with others, and being helped. Each of the three settings explored through the study differed with respect to the factors that most promoted the students' interest and engagement. The findings provide teachers and researchers with a deeper understanding of the contextual features that facilitate engagement for students who currently struggle with learning mathematics. These facilitators of engagement can assist teachers to design more effective classroom practices and small group interventions, as well as help families to support their children's mathematics learning.

In this paper we explore how participation in a constructivist-oriented, classroom aligned mathematics intervention program advanced the learning and positive dispositions of Grade 1 students who were failing to thrive when learning mathematics. Intervention programs are an approach to differentiated instruction that some schools adopt, but there are questions about whether such interventions advance equity and inclusion for students. To provide insight about these issues, we draw on data from the Extending Mathematical Understanding for All study in NSW, Australia (2016-2020) to address two research aims. The first aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the EMU intervention approach for progressing the mathematics learning of students who were failing to thrive mathematically, and for closing the performance gap with their peers. The second aim was to consider the impact of participating in EMU intervention on students' dispositions for learning mathematics. The findings confirm the potential of intensive constructivist-based intervention approaches for closing the performance gap for students who were not thriving in mathematics, and for improving the learning dispositions of these students. However, two years after the intervention, the performance gap was again apparent for many students. It is likely that a one-off intervention program is not sufficient for enabling all students to thrive mathematically, and that well-focused classroom-based differentiated instruction and further intervention support may be warranted for some students.

A presente pesquisa possui o escopo de analisar a crise da insegurança alimentar, sob o ponto de vista das desigualdades sociais, em tempos de ampliação do uso da biotecnologia genética na agricultura e utilização de transgênicos na produção alimentícia. Nesse contexto, pretende-se responder se a produção agrícola em massa, por meio de técnicas de transgenia vegetal, pode resolver o problema da fome e contribuir para uma sociedade mais igualitária. Para tanto, será realizado um estudo sobre a crise da fome e das desigualdades sociais, com o objetivo de estabelecer conceitos e pressupostos comuns ao problema. Na sequência, serão apuradas as contribuições do avanço das políticas neoliberais para o agravamento da crise alimentar, bem como para a construção do discurso envolvendo os transgênicos. Ao final, sob a óptica da bioética, será feito um apanhado dos principais argumentos utilizados para a liberação comercial dos transgênicos, bem como seus benefícios e malefícios, a fim de se responder ao problema central da pesquisa. Por meio do método dedutivo e amparando-se na pesquisa bibliográfica, sobretudo em fontes secundárias, concluiu-se que os transgênicos ainda não conseguiram resolver o problema da fome no mundo, sendo que, quando aliados às influências do sistema econômico-financeiro atual, contribuem somente para o agravamento da problemática.

Enhancing the mathematical problem solving and conceptual understanding of Year 6 students was the goal for a team of primary teachers. For this purpose, they investigated a teaching approach involving Challenging Tasks as a Professional Learning Community. The process followed by the team is outlined, and the impact on teaching and learning is described. Overall, challenging tasks were useful for facilitating student engagement in mathematical problem-solving and for building students' conceptual understanding. Recommendations are presented for those seeking to investigate the impact of challenging tasks for advancing students' mathematics engagement and learning, and cultivating 21st Century learning skills.

Leading school mathematics is a complex task and the responsibilities and activities involved are not always clearly defined. School mathematics leaders (SML) in Australian schools are often expected to lead improvement in mathematics teaching and learning. Previous research typically focuses on the qualities of effective leaders rather than the practices of SMLs. Investigated in this study were the goals and activities of Victorian primary (elementary) and secondary SMLs and the alignment of their goals and activities. The most frequent goals focused on teams developing shared understandings and practices for improving learning and teaching. The activities of SMLs included a diverse range of activities inside and outside the classroom, irrespective of the leaders' main goal. These findings have implications for the professional learning of SMLs and highlight the importance of leaders being provided with sufficient time to undertake leadership practices that align their leadership activities with their leadership goals.

Planning mathematics learning sequences as a team is becoming increasingly common in Australian primary schools and is often referred to as "team planning" or "collaborative planning." The purpose of this article is to illustrate how a multi-age Year 5 and 6 primary school teaching team, authors Scott, Rai and Kristyn, grappled with these challenges through their participation in The Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership's 15-week Leading Mathematics Planning (LMP) professional learning course, facilitated by authors Aylie and Ann. The authors describe and discuss an approach to collaborative mathematics planning that supported them to make productive and effective use of planning time. Ultimately, the planning team found that the sequences of learning they designed had positive repercussions for their teaching and engaged students more deeply in the mathematics. Based on its success, other planning teams in the school are exploring using the protocols they developed.

Background/Objectives: Facial asymmetry is gaining an increasing diagnostic interest in many clinical contexts. Several three-dimensional surface-based methods have been proposed for its assessment; however, they might provide non-equivalent data. Since there is a lack of comparative studies in these terms, this study aims to compare three methods for assessing the asymmetry of the face and facial thirds, thus addressing whether the potential differences can be considered clinically acceptable or not. Methods: Two ‘maxillofacial’ methods based on the trigeminal nerve distribution and one ‘orthodontic’ method based on reference horizontal planes were used to identify the facial thirds on 3D facial models of 80 Italian healthy adults to calculate the asymmetry of the face, and the upper, middle, and lower thirds of the face differently selected by each method. As a measure of asymmetry, the Root Mean Square value was calculated through a mirroring surface-based registration. Intra- and inter-operator reliability was verified for each method. Differences and interchangeability between the methods were tested, respectively, by two-way repeated measures ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) and Bland–Altman and Similarity Percentage model analysis. Additionally, the time required to perform each method was assessed. Results: All methods demonstrated excellent intra- and inter-operator reliability. While the ANOVA analysis found significant differences (p < 0.001) for the majority of facial Regions of Interest between each method, the Bland–Altman analysis revealed that the differences were clinically acceptable (

Reduced walking endurance is common in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), leading to reduced social participation and increased fall risk. This highlights the importance of identifying which gait aspects should be mostly targeted by rehabilitation to maintain/increase walking endurance in this population. A total of 56 PwMS and 24 healthy subjects (HSs) executed the 6 min walk test (6 MWT), a clinical measure of walking endurance, wearing three inertial sensors (IMUs) on their shanks and lower back. Five IMU-based digital metrics descriptive of different gait domains, i.e., double support duration, trunk sway, gait regularity, symmetry, and local dynamic instability, were computed. All metrics demonstrated moderate–high ability to discriminate between HSs and PwMS (AUC: 0.79–0.91) and were able to detect differences between PwMS at minimal (PwMSmFR) and moderate–high fall risk (PwMSFR). Compared to PwMSmFR, PwMSFR walked with a prolonged double support phase (+100%), larger trunk sway (+23%), lower stride regularity (−32%) and gait symmetry (−18%), and higher local dynamic instability (+24%). Normative cut-off values were provided for all metrics to help clinicians in detecting abnormal scores at an individual level. The five metrics, entered into a multiple linear regression model with 6 MWT distance as the dependent variable, showed that gait regularity and the three metrics most related to dynamic balance (i.e., double support duration, trunk sway, and local dynamic instability) were significant independent contributors to 6 MWT distance, while gait symmetry was not. While double support duration and local dynamic instability were independently associated with walking endurance in both PwMSmFR and PwMSFR, gait regularity and trunk sway significantly contributed to 6 MWT distance only in PwMSmFR and PwMSFR, respectively. Taken together, the present results allowed us to provide hints for tailored rehabilitation exercises aimed at specifically improving walking endurance in PwMS.

Abstract TRPM8 is a non-selective cation channel permeable to both monovalent and divalent cations that is activated by multiple factors, such as temperature, voltage, pressure, and changes in osmolality. It is a therapeutic target for anticancer drug development, and its modulators can be utilized for several pathological conditions. Here, we present a cryo-electron microscopy structure of a human TRPM8 channel in the closed state that was solved at 2.7 Å resolution. Our structure comprises the most complete model of the N-terminal pre-melastatin homology region. We also visualized several lipids that are bound by the protein and modeled how the human channel interacts with icilin. Analyses of pore helices in available TRPM structures showed that all these structures can be grouped into different closed, desensitized and open state conformations based on the register of the pore helix S6 which positions particular amino acid residues at the channel constriction.

Las áreas periurbanas representan un continuum entre lo rural y lo urbano, caracterizado por una compleja interacción de elementos sociales e institucionales. Este estudio se centra en analizar las condiciones de habitabilidad en áreas periurbanas de Concepción del Uruguay, Argentina, que han experimentado un desarrollo desordenado y sin planificación. Mediante la aplicación de indicadores objetivos y subjetivos se buscó comprender las disparidades socio-territoriales y los patrones locales de identificación espacial influyentes en la calidad de vida de la población. Los resultados revelan carencias significativas en aspectos clave como la calidad sanitaria, la vulnerabilidad ambiental y la accesibilidad urbana. La gestión deficiente de aguas y cloacas, junto con servicios irregulares de recolección de residuos urbanos, así como, la localización de viviendas cercanas a zonas industriales y vertederos de desechos que plantea desafíos sustanciales para el bienestar de los habitantes. La falta de acceso a equipamientos educativos, de salud, espacios verdes y transporte público se destaca como un problema generalizado. Se revela una satisfacción mayoritaria con la calidad del aire, agua y suelo. Sin embargo, se registran bajos niveles de satisfacción en lo que respecta a los servicios de agua potable y saneamiento. En cuanto a la percepción de riesgo ambiental, varía ampliamente debido a la cercanía a industrias o el desconocimiento. En conclusión, estas condiciones plantean desafíos significativos para mejorar la calidad de vida de la población periurbana. Se requieren estrategias de planificación y desarrollo sostenible que aborden estas deficiencias y promuevan un entorno más saludable y accesible para sus residentes.